A Few Smiles Go a Long Way
by yeetyeertyrtdf
Summary: What if when Derek asked for a second chance Meredith said no? What if instead of Meredith going home like she should've she stayed at Joe's to continue her drinking session with Mark? What if that was the moment Meredith's meant-to-be love stopped being Derek?
1. Chapter 1: Where Things Went Off Track

"Grab me a refill while I'm gone, will you?" Mark says, slapping a five-dollar bill onto the table he and Meredith were sharing.

"Just one call?" Meredith said, grinning at her new friend. Her fellow member of the 'Dirty Mistress Club'.

"Just one," he assured her, "then I'm all yours." He flashed a cocky grin and stepped outside Joe's.

Meredith shook her head to herself. For the first time in days she was happy. She was laughing. Why did she feel guilty? It's not like she and Derek were dating. In fact he seemed quite interested in not associating himself with her at all.

She stood up, the empty beer mug clasped in her 'tiny ineffectual fists'. There she went again, thinking about Derek. That needed to stop.

She walked up to the counter and slid the mud across to the bartender. "Beer," Meredith said with a small nod, and Joe began to fill the cup a hearty amount. Meredith began to turn around, beer in hand when-

 _BAM_. She ran smack into one. Meredith looked up. Not just anyone, Derek.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Meredith stuttered, sidestepping and looking down. She couldn't help but still feel guilty that she was at the bar with Mark. That despite everything, Mark had a more positive affect on her than Derek. Her cheeks hurt from smiling so much this evening.

"No," Derek said, putting his hands on her shoulders. "I wanted to talk to you."

Meredith looked up, an impatient expression on her face. Derek recognized the emotion and got on with his spiel.

"This is where we met. We were just a girl and guy in a bar. No emotions attached, but we both managed to find each other again. I know I am so late to finally say this, but I love you, Meredith. I would do anything, and all I ask is a chance at a fresh start. Everything is ended with Addie. The only thing I want is you."

Derek was hoping for Meredith to immediately jump back into his arms. Meredith knew it. She almost did, but made herself remember how lost she had felt. How Derek made her feel lost. How could she trust him then? How could Meredith rely on Derek to be her person?

"How do I know you wont just disappear like last time? I… I cant handle being hurt again. Not like I was before." Meredith actually saw Derek's face drop. He thought he could walk in after he lied for months and they would be a great couple?

"Meredith… I love you! I would never do that to you." Derek took her hands in his.

Meredith felt safe. Embraced, she felt like there was nothing to fear. He would never hurt her, he loves her! But over Derek's shoulder, she saw a somber face. It was Mark, and he looked slightly betrayed. Suddenly that brought another thought to mind. She took her hands out of his "I'm sure you said you love Addie too. Look how that turned out." She sighed. She was tipsy and tired, not in shape to make a decision like this. "Look, Derek. I'm tired, and all I want to do is go home and sleep. Can I please make this decision in the morning, when I won't do something I regret?"

Derek closed his eyes for a few moments before responding. "Sure. Of course Meredith. Take all the time you need." He gave her a light kiss on the cheek before walking out of the bar, brushing past Mark on the way out. She stood there until she heard the sound of his car driving away.

Even after that, all she did was sit on the nearest barstool and look blankly in front of her. Why did she turn him away? He was the one, everyone said so. That is, until they broke up and everyone talked about him being a lying bastard. Meredith sat there, tightly gripping the beer mug.

"Hey, did someone possess my drinking buddy?" a teasing voice said beside her. She looked to the right, and there was Mark, leaning against the counter and her empty tequila cup in his left hand. "Another one for the lady," he said to Joe with a small wink. Joe grinned and complied, handing back the filled glass. Mark slid it to Meredith.

"When I came back and I saw McDreamy holding hands with my fellow mistress I thought I lost her for good. What did he want anyway?"

Meredith shrugged, still not letting go of Mark's beer and not picking up her tequila. She was still shocked by what just happened. Frozen in time.

Mark lightly touched her hand that was holding his beer. He very lightly pulled her hand off of it, and when he pulled the beer away he patted her hand a few times. "Mer, its okay," he said. "I'm sure whatever he said couldn't have been that bad."

"He… He wants me to get back together with him." Meredith whispered.

Mark shrugged. "So what? Everyone knew it was going to happen. So what can I do to help?" he asked. She wondered if she was imagining the double meaning behind those words.

Meredith closed her eyes. "I just want to take my mind off of things," she said, putting her face in her hands. "Why does he have to make things to complicated?"

Mark put his hand under her chin and pulled her face up so that their eyes were inches apart. Now Meredith knew she wasn't imagining the double meaning in his words. "I may not be good at much, but I do know how to distract very attractive young ladies… like yourself."

Meredith wanted to lean in and smell his neck; the scent of cologne was indescribable. How Mark managed to stay perfect after a work shift she had no idea. But man, she was glad he could. "I think…" she began, "I think I could use a distraction." She said, leaning slightly forward so that their lips were barely touching.

Mark jumped up startling Meredith. Derek had walked into the bar. He luckily had not seen them, but still walked to Meredith's direction. He grabbed the jacket off a nearby chair. "Forgot my jacket," he said with a smile to Meredith. "Mark," he acknowledged with a nod before walking back out of the bar.

Meredith looked back up at Mark. His face was serious a moment longer before breaking into a confident grin. He grabbed Meredith's hand, and before she could stop him he already had pulled her out the door and into the his car.


	2. Chapter 2: Good Thoughts, Bad Timing

Meredith felt herself being driven down a dark highway in a nice car with leather seats. She felt like everything was going so fast, but that was the fun part. Looking down, she noticed Mark was still holding her hand, but moving it every so often to change gears. He looked over at her and smiled.

Was this something he did with every girl? Because for once he seemed sincerely happy. Or maybe that was just the prospect of sex talking. Either way Meredith felt lighthearted and let out a chuckle at the fast passing lights outside the tinted windows.

"Mark?" she said, turning to face him. He didn't turn, just seemed to keep driving with no change in posture. "Mark," she said again, squeezing his hand for a tiny second. The movement seemed to get him out of his trance.

"Yeah Meredith?" he let go of her hand to turn down the music they were blasting.

"Where are we going?" she turned to face him and grabbed his hand again. It had been a while since she felt like her touch meant anything and Mark made her feel wanted, even if it was part of his big sex scheme.

Mark looked down at their hands intertwined, like this wasn't something that happened often. He looked back out to the road. "To my apartment," he said, turning back to Meredith. "And trust me, Mer, you should feel lucky." His face turned into a confident, sexy type of grin. "Not many girls get to go there."

Meredith rolled her eyes. "How lucky am I to be allowed into Mark's palace of sex!" she said, laughing. She laughed and laughed. Why was she still laughing, it wasn't funny. Her laughter turned to tears. Silent and heavy tears rolling down her face. Mark didn't notice at first, but when she took her hand from his to wipe her eyes, he looked up and saw the mascara running down her face. "Mer?" he said, not taking his eyes off the road. "What's wrong? Do you not want to do this?"

"No I do… I really do," as she said that another quiet sob rolled through her body. "It's just, everything I do in life goes to shit!" she put her head in one of her hands and sighed. "And I also managed to have this realization in the car on my way to have sex!" No one said anything for a minute.

"Well I have every intention in not making our friendship go to shit, if that means anything," Mark said really slowly, trying not to make her more upset.

Nothing was said until the end of the car ride.

"Here we are! Mark's palace of sex," he announced, walking to Meredith's side of the car and opening the door. He pulled her up and held her by the waist as they walked upstairs. When they reached the front door he pulled out the keys and unlocked it, revealing the inside.

Everything was luxuriously upholstered and flawlessly upheld. Meredith wasn't sure what else to expect.

Mark grabbed her lightly by the shoulders and directed her towards a hallway. "Second door you see is a bathroom. Go clean yourself up, and rest. It's been a long day." Meredith didn't respond, but instead have him a hug of appreciation before going into the bathroom and closing the door.

Fifteen minutes later, Meredith opened the bathroom door in a fluffy bath towel. She walked out, still amazed by the apartment. It overlooked Seattle with a beautiful view of…

The fairy boats…

He's not Derek, she told herself. And for once she was happy about that. Mark wasn't so nosy when it came to her problems, but still open. Or so it seemed. She was still convinced he just wanted sex. She walked forward to the only door with light behind it. She knocked.

Mark opened the door. He was shirtless and wearing pajama pant. Meredith tried not to stare, but its hard not to be distracted by an extremely attractive, fit, shirtless man. He let her in. She came in and sat on his bed. He sat next to her and wrapped his arm around her. She looked up at him.

"Mark, I still want to do this," Meredith said, looking into his eyes. "Really, I do."

Mark shook his head. "Meredith I'm not having sex with you. You're not thinking straight. I don't want you doing something you regret."

Meredith shook her head. "No, Mark. Seriously. I'm completely sure."

"Sorry Grey," Mark said, taking his arm off her shoulder. Meredith grabbed his face in her hands and pulled him closer until their noses were touching. Mark leaned in, so once again their lips were lightly brushing against each other.

Meredith closed her eyes. "Mark," she whispered against his lips.

His face turned to a teasing grin. "Not a chance," he whispered back, turning away. He patted got under the covers and patted the bed next to him. "Come on, Dr. Grey. Let a little stress off."

"I… I gotta get home," Meredith said embarrassed. How could she get involved with an attending? Again!

Mark shook his head and laughed. "Mer just get in the bed. Any taxi will charge you a ridiculous amount just to get back."

Meredith weighed her options. She'd honestly rather stay here and put away her pride. She got into bed and tucked herself under the covers, facing Mark. He put on some movie neither of them watched, but instead fell asleep.

A few hours later Meredith woke up. She looked at her watch. It was about 3 in the morning. She looked over at Mark. He was sound asleep. She wanted to see something. Just test it, to see how it would feel. She leaned over, and very softly pressed her lips to his cheek before turning back towards the wall.

She felt Mark stirring behind her. He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him. As they both began to drift closer to sleep, Meredith instinctively rolled over, facing him.

Mark ran his hands through her hair, effectively waking Meredith up.

"Meredith?"

"Yeah, Mark?"

"I've decided something."

"And what's that?"

"You're emotionally stable enough to know what you want."

Meredith smiled in the dark, burrowing her head in his neck. "Yeah I believe I am."

Mark pulled her closer. "Yeah I'm definitely agreeing with this thought process." He adjusted herself so that she was underneath him.

Meredith just smiled and allowed herself, as she was during the activities of the night.


	3. Chapter 3: How things change

Meredith woke up in a cloud of happiness. She was pleased with the night. Actually pleased wasn't the right word. She was perfect. Her morning was perfect, the night was perfect. Mark seemed to know what she wanted before she did.

She turned around to get out of bed, walking to the shower. It was strange the mood she was in last night compared to now.

The water was a little too hot, but Meredith didn't mind, it soothed her muscles and relaxed her. The steam cleansed her skin. She heard someone opening the shower door. "Grey?" Mark said, peeking in.

"Yeah Mark?" Meredith asked, running her fingers through her hair.

"You seem pretty busy," Mark said, smiling. He stepped into the bathroom.

Meredith grinned. "On the contrary, Dr. Sloan, I think that I'm handling things just fine." She heard someone step into the shower.

"All the same, I think it would be best for me to assist you, Dr. Grey."

Meredith looked up and smiled, and leaned against his bare chest. "Mark?" she paused. "What do I do about Derek?"

Mark seemed to realize that Derek tied into this. It wasn't just a one-night stand. Derek told Meredith he would wait and not minutes later Mark brought her to his house. "You get out."

Meredith turned to face him. "What?" she asked, seeming a bit offended.

Mark looked away from her. "Get out. Forget this happened. Don't get me wrong," he said with a smirk, "it was fun, but you and Derek are the couple people try to be."

Meredith looked at her phone. "But-"

"No buts," Mark said. He ran his fingers through her hair and lightly kissed her on the lips. "Now go and get him back."

Hours later Meredith was ready for Derek's arrival. She called him and told him she wanted a fresh start, and if he was still willing to be with her, he should come to her house at 3:00 pm. It was 3:05, still no sign of him. Suddenly she heard a knock on the door. Meredith jumped up to answer it, but he walked in anyway.

He ran in and kissed her. She kissed him back. But it was different. Before Meredith knew about Addison Derek kissed her sweetly. Now it was rougher, with more of an edge. But still, Meredith still responded equally.

A week passes. They're happy taking it slow. Derek appreciated Meredith's input on everything. Meredith tells him about her day. Derek still doesn't know about Mark. Meredith doesn't look at Mark, ignores his constant flirting at work.

Another week. Derek notices Meredith's different. She seems more anxious. He never lets her get a moment alone. He hovers, at home, at work. Meredith complains of his hovering, they fight. Derek whines about her distance, they fight. There is so much disagreement. Meredith opens herself up to Mark and Cristina, asks for their advice. Cristina has her own problems and Mark says she should give Derek a chance.

One more week. Meredith is sick. She can't stop throwing up. Her stomach is upset and Derek wont even let her shower alone anymore. They're days away from going to the hospital to see what's wrong. Meredith pees on a stick and sees a plus sign. Derek knocks on the door. No answer. He knocks harder. Nothing. He opens the door anyways and sees his girlfriend with the stick and her face. He smiles, he laughs. He grabs her hands and kisses her.

Meredith closes her eyes. She needed to speak or he'd know something was wrong. Derek grinned. "Meredith! We're gonna have a baby!" He hugged her. As she pulled out of the hug, his grin faded.

"Mark," she whispered.

"What?" Derek asked, lifting her face up.

"It's… It's Mark's baby."

Derek backed away in an instant. A few seconds ago he was the love of her life and now he couldn't look at her. He walked out of the bathroom and slammed the door. A few minutes later she heard his car pulling out of the driveway and away from the house.

She was crying. How did this happen? There was actually a 1% chance this could happen. Who knew that this would be the result of one mistake? No. It wasn't a mistake. She didn't regret her time with Mark, but she did regret her time she spent letting Derek convince her she still loved him.

Hours went by. Cristina and Izzy asked what was wrong, she never moved from the bathroom floor. The only words she said were "What do I do?" George and even Alex came to convince her to get off the ground with no avail. Later that night she heard a different voice next to her. Huskier, familiar. It was Mark. She couldn't hear what he was saying, but responded with her own thoughts. "I'm pregnant, Mark."

She looked up, awaiting his response. "That son of a bitch!" Mark said, standing up. He seemed genuinely angry. "Derek gets you pregnant than runs off because he can't handle the commitment? Classic."

Meredith pulled Mark down to lean on his shoulder. "Derek and I were going slow. We were trying to abstain."

Mark was mad for a moment longer before understanding. "So… you two… didn't?"

Meredith shook her head. She was utterly surprised about what Mark did next. He pulled her into a hug. A big, warm bear hug. "Mer! This is great! I'm going to be a daddy!"

Meredith rolled her eyes. "Its not like you don't get girls to call you that already."

Mark held her hand. "Now lets go share the news." They stood up and walked together to talk to their friends.

 **Hey guys! 3 chapters in one day! :^) Don't worry! This won't be a typical MerMark pregnant fic. I highly suggest you stick through!**


	4. Chapter 4: Mutual agreements

Mark pulled Meredith down the stairs. Everything felt surreal. As she stepped down the stairs, she looked at the pictures of her family. Her old family at least, Ellis and Thatcher.

On the foot of the stairs Mark pulled Meredith in for a kiss on the lips. Not a quick one, but a long passionate kiss for which there was no reason. Meredith pushed away, slightly breathless and surprised.

"Mark?" she asked, waiting for an explanation. Before he had a chance to say anything, the other interns saw them and they quickly let go of each other's hands.

"So what's her problem?" Cristina asked, seeing that both of them seemed equally anxious.

"I'm… I'm…" Meredith tried to begin the sentence but couldn't.

"She's pregnant." Mark never took his eyes off of Meredith.

Izzy actually dropped her bagel. "What?" she said, eyes widened in an expression of pure surprise.

Cristina put her head in her hand. "Mer! How could you do this? You have to get rid of it. It will ruin your career." She knew that this had to be Marks baby. She knew everything about Meredith's sex life.

Izzy, however, didn't know. "Derek didn't even stay five minutes after he heard?" she shook her head. "How can the baby grow up without a father?"

Meredith and Mark looked at each other, unsure of how to proceed.

"Derek isn't the father, and even if he was, Meredith wouldn't keep the thing," Cristina said, shrugging. Meredith lightly punched her in the shoulder.

Izzy looked at Mark and her expression darkened. "You son of a bitch!" she stepped forward and pushed Mark away from Meredith. "How could you get Mer pregnant? This is all your fault!"

Meredith grabbed Izzy's wrist. "It's just as much my fault as his."

Izzy glared at Mark for a moment longer then looked back to Meredith. "You slept with someone? And didn't tell me?" She began to walk back to her room. "I'm going to take a nap. I can't deal with this crap now."

Cristina stared after Izzy. "Jesus, someone needs to chill out…" She paused and turned back to Meredith and Mark. "So what happens now? You two get married or something?"

Meredith said 'No' at the same time Mark said 'Yes'. She lightly punched him on the shoulder.

Cristina sighed. "You guys are so screwed up. I have enough shit to deal with from Burke so I can't deal with you too." She gave Meredith a quick hug and walked out, quietly closing the front door behind her.

"So… I guess it's just you and me?" Mark said, giving her a hesitant smile.

Meredith had her eyes closed and hands straight at her side. "Mark, we can't get married."

Mark looked slightly offended. "Why? We have a lot of fun and obviously get along well"

"Mark…" Meredith began unsure of how to continue. "You would be a terrible father. I don't want you anywhere near my baby." Mark's face dropped in an instant. He was sad, that much was obvious. He didn't understand, how could Meredith say that?

"Mer, I could be a great father!"

"I don't think you could stop whoring around long enough to even notice you have a kid," her eyes were stone cold and she didn't hesitate to turn away from him.

Mark had light tears in his eyes. "Meredith, I promise I would never betray you. Please, just give us a chance. Imagine how good it would be if we actually worked out? If we actually gave this baby a chance at a family. Come on Mer, just give it a go. And if I disappoint you, don't talk to me again. It's that simple."

Meredith groaned. Why did all of this crap had to happen to her? "Mark…"

"No Mer, just think of the family we could have."

Meredith gave up. "Fine one chance, but if I find out you're doing the nurses…" she trailed off.

Mark grabbed both her hands. "I promise you. I'm already invested in this baby.

"We're having a baby!" Meredith said with a small shoulder shrug and a smile.

"We're having a baby!" Mark said, equally enthused.

 **Guys, once again this story isn't going in the direction you think it is. Also please review, I like to have feedback. Also, if you have any subplots you want me to bring in please tell me.**


	5. Chapter 5: Keeping it Professional

Meredith decided it was time to go back to work. She was now a month into her pregnancy. She had spent too long avoiding Derek and his hatred of her. It wasn't like she had seen him since she he stormed out of the house, but Mark told her all about his confrontations with him. Apparently there had been an actual fistfight, resulting in stitches and lots of packed ice for the both of them. Meredith took that as a sign that Mark was sticking up for her.

Izzy offered Meredith a ride, as she had refused one from Mark in his leather-lined car. She didn't want to make things between she and Derek any worse than they had to be. On the ride to Seattle Grace, Izzy chattered on about the complicated procedures they had been practicing.

The rain that pattered on the roof of the car was almost ominous as they pulled up to the busy hospital, but mostly it reminded Meredith of her first days as an intern, when it stormed nonstop. They got out of the car and ran towards the nearest entrance. Izzy's pager went off just as they got into the locker rooms, so she immediately got dressed and ran off. Meredith had some time to spare, as she didn't have any rounds, having not been at the hospital recently.

"Hey Mer, finally decided to face the patients?" Meredith turned around to see Alex smirking after her. "Or maybe you finally decided to face the baby daddy?"

"Actually," the stubborn female corrected, "Mark comes around all the time." She put her purse in her locker. "However I am avoiding Derek."

"Aren't we all?" George said as he walked into the room. "He's been an absolute nightmare in the operating room. He spends half his time asking about you, and the other half talking shit about Mark."

Meredith laughed. "I can totally imagining that, scalpels and everything. How's Richard?"

"You can catch up the gossip later," said a sassy voice from behind them. Miranda Bailey had a hand on her hip and an analytical expression on her face. "O'Malley with Dr. Montgomery and Karev with Dr. Sheppard."

"Great," muttered Alex as he grabbed his clipboard and walked towards the Neurology Department.

"And Grey," Bailey continued after an apologetic glance after Alex. "You've been specially requested by Dr. Sloan." The short doctor pursed her lips at Meredith. "But if I catch any funny business happening-"

"I assure that you wont, Dr. Bailey. I want to keep everything strictly professional." Clearly Bailey knew about the situation, as she made no effort to hide the disdain. Meredith realized that everyone probably knew from Derek, as it didn't seem like he was hiding his dislike for her.

"Mhmm." Bailey said with attitude before sauntering off, probably to express discontent to someone else.

With her clipboard and pager at hand, Meredith was ready to go. She stood up from the bench she was sitting on and stepped out the door and headed towards Plastics.

She was just about to ask where Mark was, when two hands covered her eyes from behind. "Dr. Sloan?" she asked with a smile, reaching up to grab the hands hindering her vision. As her hand wrapped around theirs, she realized that the hands were too small and dainty to be Mark's.

"I'm actually slightly offended you guessed McSteamy before me," said a cynical voice from behind her. Meredith turned around with a grin to see Cristina, whom she could tell wasn't really frustrated with her, but instead found the situation funny. "I'm actually on Sloan's service today too, I guess he didn't realize that I was continuing my work from yesterday."

Meredith gave Cristina a little hug. "I missed you these past days. How come you didn't visit me?" she asked with a pretend frown. Cristina didn't reply, but instead motioned with a nod of her head that McSteamy himself was walking towards them.

"Ah, Dr. Yang," Mark began in a sultry voice he used with most everyone, "You're actually on Dr. Webber's service today."

"But what about my patients?" Yang asked, concerned. Although you wouldn't tell from her distant persona, Yang actually got really attached to her patients, and didn't want to see them unhappy.

"Taken care of for the morning, but check up on them at noon and before you sleep tonight." Mark seemed insistent on only having Meredith on his service. Meredith wasn't surprised; he tended to do things alone.

"Of course, Dr. Sloan," Cristina walked away from Meredith and Mark, leaving them alone except for a few prying nurses down the hallway.

Mark reached his hand up as though to touch Meredith's cheek. Her eye's blazed as she slapped his hand down. "Mark, we are at work. Despite everything that's going on outside of this hospital, here things will stay strictly work related."

"Actually Meredith," said Mark as he reached his hand up again, despite her nonverbal protests, "I was getting this paper out of your hair." His hand went lightly through her hair and pulled out a piece of a tootsie roll wrapper. "You know we have a highly professional environment here at Seattle Grace." His hand fell from her hair to her face.

Meredith lightly tugged his hand away. The nurses were terrible gossips, and she didn't want anyone to think they were dating. "Yeah, like I said. We're at work." It was then when Meredith realized that they were standing so close that their bodies were a centimeter from touching. The energy pulsing between them was almost tangible. She stepped away. "So, uh, I think it's best if we stick to the patients."

Mark grinned to himself and shook his head. "Of course. First patient is in room 324b." He stepped back and let Meredith ahead of him. She walked forward, confidently finding her way to the room. She wondered what patient was inside, but was too prideful to ask.

As she stepped through the door, she heard Mark follow closely behind. She examined the room. It was empty, not even the bed was messed up. The whole room was pristine. "Mark?" she asked, turning around to see what was up.

Meredith saw Mark close the door, and she immediately was cynical. "What are you doing?" she asked, taking a small step back. It wasn't like she was scared of being alone with him, but she did think that Mark could do stuff with out thinking it through.

"Meredith, we may be at work, but that doesn't mean our lives just don't exist in here." He stepped forward and turned Meredith around so she was backed against the wall. Mark leaned forward so his lips were barely brushing her ear. "You know that you want this just as much as me," he said breathily. His voice was sultry and thick with lust.

Mark pulled back slightly so that their eyes were locking. Meredith still was pushed against the wall. She wasn't going to make a move, but she wasn't going to back away either. Mark leaned closer as slowly as possible, until his lips very lightly pressed against hers. He didn't want to push Meredith to do anything she didn't want to do.

Meredith closed her eyes as their lips met. She expected Mark to do something brasher, but it seemed that he really was just taking it slow. She didn't want to break her own promise not to get involved with Mark. However, she never anticipated this, chest to chest, face to face. After pulling away, Meredith looked into Mark's eyes, trying to detect any degree of insincerity. There was none.

In a moment of passion, their lips met. At first Meredith tried to take control, but Mark had been waiting so much longer for this. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her tighter. Meredith pushed him forward until they were next to the bed, which was what Mark pushed her on to seconds later.

An hour later (most of the time was spent sitting around, talking and laughing) Meredith and Mark emerged from the room completely put together, with no sign of them being together.

Mark touched her cheek, just as he had this morning. Meredith swatted it down. "Like I've said," she said, a rosy glow in her cheeks. "We need to keep things professional."


	6. If you don't like it, don't read it

Just a quick little note:

It really sucks to get reviews saying "Wow this MerMark fanfic is crap, I don't want to read this!"

Honestly if you don't want to read it, read another fanfic. I'm not writing a fanfic for Meredith and Derek because we all know what happens there.

This is just a 'what if' type of fanfic. With that in mind, please realize that I like my writing because not many people write the fanfics I write. I like to be original, and if that means writing unlikable content then I'll do it.

If you're looking for something ordinary and basic, this isn't it. If you want a completely original fanfiction that gives you different perspectives of the characters, that's what I'll give you.

In conclusion, if you don't like my material, don't badmouth me in the reviews. If you have suggestions or criticism for the writing itself, please tell me. I don't want to spend my time reading about how much you love MerDer, so give me a break.


	7. Chapter 6: Birthday Suit

A/N: omg thank you for everyone who encouraged me ;u; it means a lot

Meredith had woken up in the on-call room. It had been 3 weeks since she had started again on her internship, and things were relatively normal. She cycled through the different Attendings, each of them treating her as any other intern. The exception was Derek. He was snappier than he needed to be, and often wouldn't answer her questions in as much depth as he would with other interns. Mark gave her a little special treatment when it came to interesting surgeries and procedures, but other than that he was a very good teacher.

Nothing else had happened between Meredith and Mark since the day she had come back to Seattle-Grace. Everyone was surprised with this, even Meredith herself. She wondered why Mark hadn't made a move for a while, but she realized that he didn't want to push her and wanted Meredith to make the next play.

Meredith was unsure what she wanted. No one could doubt that they were extremely attracted to each other, but the thought of whether or not she wanted Mark in the life of the baby raised a whole other set of questions. Some people's opinions on the matter were obvious.

"Well isn't this obvious?" Cristina said a few days ago, lying back down on the locker room benches. She rolled her eyes, prior to answering Meredith's question. "McSteamy is bad news. Don't you remember the whole Mark and Addison thing? He isn't exactly loyal is he?" She looked up to see Meredith's confused face.

"Cristina, I kinda disagree. No offense," began George, brushing his hand through his hair. "I think that Mark actually seems like he really likes Meredith, and is invested in the baby." He paused to see Meredith's expression, which was a mix between relief and concentration. "I say go for it. What's better for the baby than his two parents together?"

Izzy nodded. "Yeah I agree with the second part, but I also agree with Cristina. I don't know if Mark has ever had a stable relationship before."

Meredith wrung her hands in her lap, looking at all three of them. "No offense, but all you did was make me even more confused. Boys are stupid."

"Agreed," said Cristina.

Thinking about that conversation brought back the confusing feelings and doubts. Sometimes she wanted to just go up to Mark and kiss him, but other times she wished she could disconnect herself completely. Looking to the left, Meredith saw Mark standing near the table talking to the nurses. They looked flattered, and Mere couldn't help but wonder if he was flirting.

 _He wouldn't do that… he couldn't!_ Meredith thought, looking in disdain at the group. She realized that for the first time in a while, she was jealous. She was jealous of the simple idea that Mark may be flirting with them. It wasn't even that likely, but it still made her want to stop to him and pull him away.

Instead she forced herself to be calm. She stepped forward a few feet so she was just behind him. She overheard them talking about a patient's charts. Meredith felt a little guilty that she doubted McSteamy, but couldn't help but want him away from them. She tapped lightly on his shoulder.

"Doctor Sloan, I'm sorry to interrupt you, but Doctor Bailey said she needed you urgently in research room B!" Meredith put a fake expression of stress on her face. "Quickly please," she added, as he didn't move.

Mark looked a little worried, and walked ahead of Meredith to the research room he didn't know was empty. She followed closely behind him. As they neared the room, she wondered what she was even planning to tell him. For once, not knowing didn't bother her.

They approached the doors, and as they both slipped in, Mark couldn't even say anything before she turned around and pressed him into the wall, kissing him passionately. Meredith couldn't believe this was happening. She also couldn't believe that she had spent so long denying herself Mark. She really wanted to be with him, why didn't she notice it sooner?

Mark moved his hands from her waist to her face, cupping her head gently in his palms. He was gentle and sweet, but pulled away after one kiss. Meredith looked confused and glanced at his face for an explanation. "I don't want to keep meeting like this," he paused and smirked. "Not that I don't enjoy these… very professional…" he paused to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, "meetings. But I still want to go on a _real_ date."

"I think that would be really nice," Meredith beamed, rustling her hand through the back of his hair. Mark looked genuinely surprised that she was so ready for a real date. It was too shocking that Meredith would be so willing to commit to something.

"How about after work, we go somewhere absolutely awesome?" Mark offered, a boyish smile working its way to his lips. "But the catch is, you don't get to know what it is." Seeing Meredith beginning to protest he added, "I promise it won't be too fancy. You could wear your work clothes. Or nothing at all," he subtly winked, and Meredith pushed him playfully in response.

"Fine, it's a deal. But on one condition: you have to promise there will be food. I'm going to be starving, and I don't want to be grumpy the whole date."

"Honestly just hearing you actually call it a date is good enough for me," Mark admitted and opened the door. Meredith laughed then looked up, seeing Cristina, George, Izzy and Alex all listening carefully at the door. They looked embarrassed at being caught, and the crew scurried off hectically.

"And I think that's our cue to part ways," Meredith said, tying her hair up behind her hair, trying to brush through it with her fingers. "But then again, if you are serious about this date, then I suppose I'll see you then."

"Well I guess that's it then," he smiled and pulled her against his chest.

"Not quite," Meredith pushed away. "I think that you're going to have to spend more time with my friends." She wanted Mark to get to know them, that way when the baby came maybe it wouldn't be so awkward.

"I do spend time with them! I have one on my service every day," Mark denied, looking confused at the request.

"I meant out of the hospital. We'll talk more about this later, but right now I gotta go. I have to do some paperwork for Bailey. You know how she gets…" Meredith trailed off.

"Yeah of course," Meredith started to walk away. "Oh, and Mere," she turned around to see what he wanted. "I think that showing up in your birthday suit is the _best_ idea of all."


End file.
